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Game industry in China has been successful like any other countries. I can quote you from Japanese authors, Korean films, Asian animation series or cultural curiosities from Eastern countries, but I am constantly surprised that I cannot include China in that same bag. In some way, the one that is already the great economic engine of the world, also turns out to be a great stranger who finds it hard for its cultural products to leave their mark in the West.
However, what he has not achieved through books, movies or television series, he is achieving with video games. China has closed 2020 becoming the industry leader generating more than 33,000 million euros in revenue in game industry. A figure that, given what is to come, could grow much more in the coming years.
The Chinese cultural industry in the West
Unlike other Asian countries such as Japan and its films, books or television series, Chinese cultural products are having great problems finding a place on the other side of the globe. It is a clash of cultures that moves in both directions and, for a Western product to reach the country’s huge market, we see how large concessions and modifications are made to overcome the procedures – and censorship – for its commercialization.
Sometimes, even with multinationals bowing down to satisfy the government , or with movies adapting their plot with the same goal – China as a place of salvation in the natural disaster of ‘2012’ or Tiangong becoming the key to survival in ‘Gravity’ -.
Not even experiments and collaborations like Disney’s recent Mulán have managed to win the favor of both markets. From China they complained about the historical incongruities, turning it into a resounding stumble at the box office. From the West, the disappearance of the Mushu dragon to satisfy Chinese traditions was just one of the many criticisms the film aroused.
However, in two cultures condemned to understand each other, a stronghold has been brewing for years that, this time, seems to be managing to cross the borders that other cultural products have failed to tear apart.
The video game ” made in China ” is no longer just something common in the West based on small and free games, it is a constantly growing market that already dares to lead the best of the year lists and appear among the most anticipated triple A’s .
The surprising success of ‘Genshin Impact’
Converted by Apple and Google as the best game of the year in China, the figures of ‘Genshin Impact‘ by the Chinese company MiHoYo have become one of the biggest focuses of attention in the second half of the year. Only in the mobile market, where it landed alongside the PS4 and PC versions at the end of last September, it generated an average of five million euros a day.
Numbers of authentic madness for a game that began its journey in China based on memes mocking its alarming resemblance to ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’, and setting off alarms by the embrace of gacha strategy – the eastern equivalent of the loot boxes- as a monetization model.
Nothing capable of stopping that, of the 22 million players who pre-registered before the game’s launch, 5.3 million players did so from outside China. To date, more than five million users have played ‘Genshin Impact’ from their PS4 and, of all of them, the Asian market only accounts for 18%.
How has a Chinese game managed to find its way into an oversaturated launch industry? It could be said that it has been one of those cases in which the stars have aligned, but in reality it has been a tremendously well thought-out move by a company with enormous experience behind it.
Beyond the appeal of a free game a la ‘Zelda’ – even if only visually – in a year in which confinement has raised interest in this type of entertainment, and a generous investment in marketing, structure and game possibilities are a lesson in design and loyalty in these times.
We are facing a visually appealing title, with a style of scenes and recognizable characters based on Japanese animes and with a very accessible entrance door thanks not only to its free but also to the launch pads.
With the option to cooperative, without explicit violence and with a game system that, based on weekly prizes and a story that reveals new areas and characters little by little, makes the fear of missing something its great ally, ‘Genshin Impact’ was the perfect breeding ground to become a Twitch star.
Tencent continues to grow
In early 2019, Tencent was talked about in this house as the unknown Chinese giant destined to dominate the video game industry. Today, just two years later, it is neither unknown nor destined for anything, it is on everyone’s lips and the industry is already well taken by the horns.
The Chinese market for mobile games shares the first positions in profits together with NetEase , another of the large companies that seeks to gain a foothold in these parts with investments such as Quantic Dream ( ‘Detroit: Become Human’ ). But its threads go much further .
Tencent has minority shares in Activision or Ubisoft, and dominates companies such as Epic Games ( ‘Fortnite’ , Unreal Engine), Supercell ( ‘Clash Royale’ ), Riot Games ( ‘League of Legends’ ), Digital Extremes ( ‘ Warframe ‘ ) or Bluehole ( ‘ PUBG ‘ ).
Its claws, in one way or another, also reach Splash Damage, Platinum Games, Yager, Frontier, Paradox or even Discord , the favorite messaging app among players. In fact, despite not being a company exclusively focused on video games, Tencent’s investment rose to more than 30 million in 2020 and it plans to continue growing until half of its players are Western .
But the thing is not just about investing where there are possibilities, but about seeking alliances to precisely facilitate the entry of foreign products into the Chinese market. As we related a few lines above with movies, Western video games or the Japanese industry also rely on Tencent to open a gap between regulations and censorship.
The most recent example has been that of its agreement with Nintendo for the distribution of Switch in that market. According to data from Niko Partners, Tencent Holdings would have sold more than 1.3 million Nintendo Switches during the last year. Double what was achieved by adding the sales of PS4 and Xbox One in the same market and period.
Between some shares and others, Tencent has become in 2019 the video game company in China that generated the most profits globally. A sum significantly larger than that achieved by Sony in the same period and even greater than that of Microsoft and Nintendo combined. It is not difficult to imagine 2020 results that widen that difference even more.
The games made in China that come
But not only from ‘Genshin Impact’ and Tencent lives the Chinese market outside its borders, although the latter has a close relationship with everything great that is yet to come. There are several releases and projects that plan to repeat the MiHoYo feat in the coming years.
‘Black Myth: Wu Kong’
Emerged out of nowhere, ‘Black Myth: Wu Kong’ became one of the great sensations of last summer by delivering a very promising trailer. An action adventure RPG a la ‘Dark Souls’ created by former members of Tencent that should reach PC and other platforms in the coming years.
The hit that comes with this collaboration between Tencent and Nintendo promises to be tremendous. ‘Pokémon Unite’ is a mixture of two of the most profitable titans in the industry that combines the MOBA genre of ‘League of Legends’ and the charisma of the characters of ‘Pokémon’. It will land on Switch, iOS and Android at some point yet to be confirmed.
Another Tencent project , this time an open world FPS that many have not been slow to relate to ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ due to its similarities. The great asset of the idea is that it is closely related to Epic, who are helping to shape ‘SYN’ to take full advantage of the Unreal Engine.
The Riot Forge games
Maybe the branch of additional developments of the creators of ‘League of Legends’ has studios around the planet working for them, but let’s not forget that the money is Chinese and that the coffers that will end up being filled with projects like ‘Ruined King’, Project L or a future MMO inspired by the Riot franchise, are those of Tencent.


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Samsung Electronics held a product shipment ceremony for 3nm (nanometer, 1nm is 1 billionth of a meter) foundry (semiconductor consignment production) applied with gate all-around (GAA) technology, a next-generation transistor structure, at the V1 line of the Hwaseong campus in Gyeonggi Province on the 25th. Samsung Electronics is the first in the world to mass-produce 3nm using GAA technology.
The event was attended by more than 100 people including Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang, partner companies, Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor (DS) division head Gye-hyung (president), and executives and employees. Samsung Electronics’ foundry division, which participated in the event, announced its aspiration to ‘go forward with innovative technology to become the best in the world’, and through a technology development progress report, the foundry division, semiconductor research center, and global manufacturing & infrastructure division, etc. emphasized overcoming it.
President Kyung said, “Samsung Electronics made a mark in the foundry business with this product mass production.” After encouraging executives and employees, “Successful in early development of GAA technology, which will be a new alternative when FinFET transistors reach their technological limits, is unprecedented. It creates innovative results.”
On the morning of the 25th, the wafer is being unveiled at the ‘World’s First GAA-based 3nm Mass Production Shipment Ceremony’ held at Samsung Electronics’ Hwaseong Campus in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. 2022.07.25. Mars = news
Samsung Electronics started researching the structure of GAA transistors in the early 2000s, and applied it to the 3-nm process in 2017, and announced the world’s first mass production of the 3-nano process with GAA technology last month. GAA is characterized by high data processing speed and power efficiency compared to the existing finFET structure in which the gate covers the 4 sides of the channel through which the current flows in the transistor constituting the semiconductor and covers the 3 sides of the channel.
Samsung Electronics’ 3nm GAA 1st generation process can reduce power by 45% and improve performance by 23% compared to the existing 5nm FinFET process. Samsung Electronics plans to apply the 3nm GAA process to high-performance computing (HPC) for the first time and expand it to various product groups including major customers and mobile SoC products.
Partners and fabless companies also analyzed that 3nm mass production would have a positive impact on the development of the domestic semiconductor industry. Wonik IPS CEO Lee Hyun-duk, a domestic semiconductor equipment maker, said, “We are preparing for mass production of the 3-nano GAA foundry process together with Samsung Electronics, and the capabilities of Wonik IPS employees have been further strengthened.”
Lee Jang-gyu, CEO of Telechips, a domestic fabless company, said, “Telechips has high expectations for future product designs using Samsung Electronics’ ultra-fine processes. We are providing various support measures to broaden the scope of design.”
Minister Lee urged “Samsung Electronics, the system semiconductor industry, and the general manager industry to come together to stay ahead in the fierce competition for microprocessing,” and “The government is fully committed to supporting private investment, nurturing human resources, developing technology, and building a manager ecosystem.” We will spare no effort,” he emphasized.

domain: news


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OUCH! Average child's Christmas list adds up to nearly £900 - and a third believe they'll get every single thing on it
- List includes dolls houses, bikes and tablets
- Children spend two days compiling list
- 37% get upset as they don't receive everything on list
- One in twenty write list in August
- Average child receives gifts worth £207
Forget board games, satsumas and chocolate coins - the average child's Christmas wish list contains toys and gadgets worth close to £900 this year, a new study has revealed.
Researchers found that the average youngster spends two days compiling their Christmas wish list of the goodies they want receive from Father Christmas - and it doesn't come cheap.
The long list of toys and games, including dolls' houses, bikes and tablets, adds up to an average total of £880 per child.
Expensive taste: The average child's Christmas list hits £900 this year - and a third believe they'll receive every single thing on it, found a new survey
But the study also found there could be a few disappointed youngsters this Christmas - with the average child receiving just £207 worth of toys and gadgets on Christmas Day.
The study of 2,000 parents found that 72 per cent of children compile a Christmas wish list every single year in the weeks and months leading up to the big day.
However, a third said their youngster usually believes they will receive every single item on it.
Dear Santa: More than four in ten parents say their son or daughter highlights their most-wanted toys on their list, while 16 per cent of children even rate the items in order of preference
More than four in ten say their son or daughter highlights their most-wanted toys, while 16 per cent of children even rate the items on their list in order of preference.
But 37 per cent say they have had a Christmas upset due to a child not getting what they really wanted, or even because they didn't get absolutely everything on their list.
The study also revealed that when it comes to putting their list together, children search two catalogues, visit three shops and surf two websites over the course of two days.
57 per cent of kids get inspiration for their wish list from TV adverts, while another 37 per cent put down toys they see friends playing with.
And while most children start putting their wish list together in October or November, one in twenty has got it sorted as early as August.
Researchers also found that when it comes to choosing what to buy, 51 per cent of parents simply pick the items they can afford, while 61 per cent go for toys their children have spoken about the most.
A spokesperson for Early Learning Centre, which commissioned the research, said: 'For many children, putting together their wish list is the start of the Christmas build-up.
'Many take it very seriously to make sure Father Christmas delivers the exact presents they want.
with the value of children's gift lists approaching the £1,000 mark, it
could mean there are a few disappointed youngsters this year.
'Young children aren't familiar with how much things cost so are unaware they may have chosen the most expensive toys, as well as many of the cheaper ones too.'
This is NOT an iPad! 37 per cent of parents say they have had a Christmas upset due to a child not getting what they really wanted, or even because they didn't get absolutely everything on their list
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A mobile PlayStation controller is now protected by a Sony patent
Sony wants to get a foothold in the growing mobile gaming market by introducing controllers that are compatible with smartphones.
The information was gleaned through a patent application that depicted a smartphone-attachable controller comparable to the PlayStation 4.
In the patent graphic above, it appears like the controller may be split in half and then reattached when you connect your smartphone to the device. According to rumours, the controller will be connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth and would be held in place magnetically.
With this controller, Sony is clearly attempting to tap into the burgeoning mobile gaming sector, which is especially strong in places like China, where esports are quite popular.


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Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has signed a contract with Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for the construction of four 20,000TEU containerships.
The new 400m-long and 58.8m-wide containerships will have a designed draft of 14.5m and a 16m load draft.
Construction of the vessels will cost around $619.6m, at about $154.89m for each vessel, IHS Maritime 360 reported.
After delivery in 2017, the new-builds are expected to operate on the Asia-Europe service route.
Powered by MAN B&W G95ME engines, the vessels will offer reduced fuel consumption and operating costs compared with the 14,000TEU-type containers.
The engine vessels will be capable of using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel, under future remodelling work, MOL stated.
According to IHS Maritime, a statement from SHI said: "Global shipping companies are increasingly moving towards awarding contracts for ultra-large container ships in order to maximise cost saving.
"To meet the demand of the future with logistics and regulations, SHI has been developing container ships looking at the development of bigger and better ships at SHI Research Institute, which has one of the world’s largest commercial towing tanks."
Meanwhile, MOL said it has contracted Japan-based Imabari Shipbuilding to construct two 20,000TEU containerships.
The 400m-long and 58.5m-wide vessels are expected to be delivered in 2017. MOL signed a memorandum of understanding for long-term chartering of the vessels with Shoei Kisen Kaisha.


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DETROIT - Superstorm Sandy gave an extra boost to already strong U.S. auto sales last month, although carmakers warned that uncertainty over the "fiscal cliff" could undo some of those gains.
Most major companies, from Toyota to Chrysler, posted impressive increases from a year earlier. Only General Motors was left struggling to explain its 3-percent sales gain and large inventory of unsold trucks.
Americans were already willing to buy a new car or truck last month because they're more confident in the economy. Home values are rising, hiring is up and auto financing is readily available. Also, the average age of a vehicle on U.S. roads is approaching a record 11 years, so many people are looking to replace older cars.
Sandy just boosted that demand. The storm added 20,000 to 30,000 sales industrywide in November, mostly from people who planned to buy cars during the October storm but had to delay their purchases, Ford estimated. People who need to replace storm-damaged vehicles are expected to drive sales for several more months. GM estimates that 50,000 to 100,000 vehicles will eventually need to be replaced.
November sales, when calculated on an annual basis, are likely to be 15 million or more, the highest rate since March of 2008, according to LMC Automotive, a Detroit-area consulting firm. That's higher than the 14.3 million annual rate so far this year, even though November is normally a lackluster month due to cold weather and holiday anticipation. Both GM and Chrysler predicted November sales would run at an annual rate of 15.3 million.
If sales end up at 15 million for the year, it would be a vast improvement over the 10.4 million during the recession in 2009. Sales would still fall short of the recent peak of around 17 million in 2005.
But the ongoing "fiscal cliff" negotiations between Congress and the White House could still derail the industry's recovery. The term refers to sharp government spending cuts and tax increases scheduled to start Jan. 1 unless an agreement is reached to cut the budget deficit. Economists say that those measures, if implemented, could push the U.S. economy back into a recession. "Exactly how much growth we can expect next year will depend in part on how Congress and the president resolve the fiscal cliff issue," said Kurt McNeil, GM's U.S. sales chief. "Markets and consumers hate uncertainty."
McNeil and other GM executives tried to explain the automaker's disappointing performance. GM's biggest brand, Chevrolet, reported flat sales over last year despite new products like the Spark minicar. Silverado pickup sales fell 10 percent.
GM's sales have been trailing the industry all year. They were up 4 percent through October, compared to the industry-wide increase of 14 percent.
GM said its competitors resorted to higher than usual incentives last month to get rid of 2012 model-year trucks. GM, which had more 2013 trucks on its lots, was only offering an average of $500 per truck, or a third of what others were offering. GM has been trying to hold the line on costly incentives, which can hurt resale value and brand image.
"We want to be known for great products, not great incentives," McNeil said.
But some analysts think GM will be forced to offer more deals in December to clear out higher-than-forecast inventory.
Asian brands also got a boost from some unusually big discounts, said Jesse Toprak, senior analyst for automotive pricing site TrueCar.com. TrueCar estimated that Hyundai and Kia, which were admonished by the U.S. government in late October for overstating gas mileage, increased incentive spending by nearly 30 percent. Nissan spending was up 45 percent to $4,273 per vehicle, by far the highest incentives in the industry.
Toyota said its 17-percent sales increase was partly due to post-Sandy demand. Honda was up 39 percent thanks to strong sales of the new Accord sedan and clearance deals on the outgoing Civic, which was replaced by a new 2013 Civic at the end of the month.
Luxury cars saw their usual yearend surge as holiday commercials started crowding the airwaves. Porsche's sales rose 71 percent to 3,865, a record month for the automaker. Infiniti, Acura, BMW and Lexus all reported big gains.
Edmunds.com analyst Jessica Caldwell said luxury brands have historically targeted their customers at this time of year because of holiday bonuses. That's no longer a driving factor, she said, but it's still a good time of year for people to buy 2012 model-year luxury vehicles because dealers are trying to clear them out.


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An administrator working for the US Federal Trade Commission has been given the task of mailing 14,023 cheques for US$18.17 ($19.05) to victims of the massive 2005 ChoicePoint data breach.
The data aggregation company (acquired by publishing giant Reed Elsevier in 2008) paid a $10 million settlement to the FTC in 2006 after it admitted that the financial records of 163,000 consumers in its database had been compromised due to its lax security.
It was also ordered to pay $5 million in "consumer redress".
The US$18.17 consumers will receive was for "time they may have spent monitoring their credit or taking other steps in response" to Choice Point violating the 2006 settlement, according to the FTC.
The reimbursement stems from a second settlement the company made with the FTC in 2009 as a result of it breaching the conditions of its first.
The FTC claimed that the data breach resulted in at least 800 cases of identity theft.


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UK’s largest unaccompanied port set to transform ferry freight market
Tilbury2’s brand new unaccompanied* freight ferry terminal opened for business this week at a vital time for the UK’s freight industry. The 500,000-unit freight-only facility will inject state-of-the-art capacity into the country’s ports sector by utilising a truck driver-free operation* at a time when infection control is uppermost in everyone’s minds. [*Unaccompanied – freight transported into the UK without truck drivers] After …
The post New driver-free freight ferry terminal open for business in Tilbury appeared first on The Loadstar.
Source: The Loadstar


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The no missing work but so cheap wages not enough to live that businesses recruited 10 usually get only one! - In pictures: workers find a job in the Career Center, vocational training and job placement Youth HCMC - Photo: Mai Vinh.
Many businesses (companies) in the export processing zones - industrial parks (IPs and EPZs) do not success in recruiting employees. But according to statistics from the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the number of registered unemployed workers in the first six months of 2011 more than 146,500 people (three times higher than the same period last year).
So labor is going where and solutions for attracting workers to work in the business? Tuoitre news had an interview with Mr. Nguyen Tan Dinh, deputy head of the Management Board of HCMC IPs and EPZs about this situation and the solution to the current situation.
He said: "After investing a time, production is getting stabilize, companies begin to expand production and hire more workers, especially enterprises in labor-intensive sectors such as garments, leather shoes, seafood processing. This is the regions are "thirsty" workers the most. During the next five years, enterprises in IPs and EPZs need to recruit 100,000 workers so the labor shortage is predicted increasingly severe".
Lack of labor for not enough wages for living
* How is this situation changing, sir?
- Manufacturing enterprises in the field of labor-intensive are labor shortage the most. Previously, recruiting 100, there are 1,000 people lined up for recruitment, now recruiting 1,000, there are not enough 100 people registered. Previously, many labor hire only qualified high school graduation then gradually lowered grade 10, grade 9, even lower grade 9. Some labor officials in the province said many workers only signed his name to paycheck, not literacy. Many companies proclaim recruitment of ordinary level but in reality all are recruited, regardless of the level.
* May be due to low wages, overtime, unstable living conditions so workers leave work back home or find another job cause labor shortages, is it right?
- Not really true. In the industrial zones in the provinces and rural areas also lack of labor, here is the lack of the whole country. In fact, the number of other province workers in Ho Chi Minh City Province returned to his country to work not so much, according to statistics, over 90% workers of IPs and EPZs in Ho Chi Minh City back to work after the last Tet holiday.
Accurate to say that workers belittle companies, not labor shortage. The main reason of this situation in part because businesses do not have adequate policies to retain workers, a part that workers have more job choices. Another current situation is that many companies do not raise the minimum wage, no wage increase for workers durations, so not encourage workers to stick with the company, make them go away. If a living wage, workers are always ready.
* In the first six months of this year, 30,000 workers of Ips and EPZs in HCM City quit work. Enterprises are “thirsty” but the number of unemployed and quit workers rises, why sir?
- Workers tend to work this company few years, after that quit to get an unemployment allowance, and then jump over other companies. Due to the general lack of labor, so they are easily employed immediately. So the current unemployment numbers are just "virtual" numbers.
The solution to "Mr. miserly"
* Have he ever talked to business leaders about how to retain workers?
- A leader of a business complained that the productivity of the workers were only 50%, while waste products (poor quality products) in the production of up to 15-18%,so the wage could not be increased. After finding out about this company, I said that he paid for the workers here is only as 1/6 of workers in other countries, but yield to 50% is very high . The second is the ration of the workers only 8,000 VND, minus the cost of the supplier about 5,000 VND co-ingested of workers, how they can stand to work. So workers usually quit job. Therefore enterprises must recruit new workers, so waste products will be increased.
* In your opinion, what is the solution to overcome labor shortages in IPs and EPZs now?
"No where that wage for workers is as low as in our country. Businesses invest in IPs and EPZs take advantage of cheap labor for profit, but such cheap wages, workers can not stick long time. And so the vicious circle. "
- First, the government must adjust the minimum wage to ensure life for workers, do not let companies take advantage of the low minimum wage to wage price paid. If this can not be changed, the labor shortage will be continued. On the other hand, annual salary increases based on the consumer price index (CPI) as the current is not suitable because the CPI is the numbers of thousands of items, while the daily necessities that workers use are only a few items increased quite high, especially food. Get the general growth of cement, gold, iron and steel combined then the proposed salary increase for workers is not reasonable.
Second, local governments have IZ EPZ need stable life for workers by keeping prices stable, worry about housing, kindergarten for their children, to deliver price stability goods to them...
* But on the business side, they also need to see their responsibility, sir?
- Of course. The status that workers move from this place to another only for higher income 100,000-200,000 VND or be arranged accommodation is very popular. Labor instability is not good for workers and enterprises.
I know there is a business while price rises were not considering setting profit targets, dividend focused mission to care for the employee. Because they know if workers discarded after the crisis, will not be enough workers to develop production. The result is in economic crisis year, that company still has great interests due to the workers do all best to help them overcome difficulties. This suggests that companies need to actively make adequate wage policies for psychological stability employees and stick with them. When the strike happened, workers requirements increase additional 500,000-700,000 wages, though companies have accepted, the relationship of the two sides broke.
Backward technology, low productivity
According to Mr Nguyen Tan Dinh, 10-15 years ago, businesses invested, always brought new machinery. So far the production line is outdated. For many reasons, the business has not timely innovations. It is also one of the causes of efficiency, labor productivity is not high, leading to high-paid workers do not.
According to TuoiTre Online


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New Delhi: Facebook has now come up with a new feature - Year in Review 2012, a look back at the people, moments and things that created the most buzz in 2012 among the people around the world on Facebook.
The new feature lets users access their own Year in Review on timeline. By going to Facebook.com/yearinreview, users can see the 20 biggest moments from their own year, including life events, highlighted posts and their most popular stories.
Also, Facebook assembled a series of trend lists, chronicling the top events, the most popular public figures, the most listened to songs on Facebook and more. These lists are available on Facebook Stories at FacebookStories.com/2012.
A glimpse of top India trends of 2012 on Facebook....more
05:43 PM, Dec 18, 2012


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Anyone who has a keen eye on the environment will be aware of the fact that polystyrene is playing a key role in its devastation. This is because Polystyrene (made from petroleum) is a non-renewable, non-sustainable, product that is also heavily polluting and not biodegradable, meaning it takes thousands of years to break down.
Sadly, as cited by the French Ministry of Ecology, we still populate landfills with a staggering 14 million tonnes of Polystyrene annually.
Obviously something drastic needs to be done to address this, as we all know that this is simply unacceptable, and the good news is that Ikea, the Swedish furniture and housewares company, concurs.
It’s seems that it’s not just the nature-loving luxury camping UK eco-enthusiasts that are keen to address the environmental devastation polystyrene creates by taking positive steps toward change, with the affordable furniture retailer planning to use the biodegradable mycelium, or fungi packaging to you and I, in conjunction with their plans to decrease waste and escalate recycling.
Ecovative, an American company, is behind the development of this Polystyrene alternative and the eco-friendly Mushroom Packaging, as it’s referred to, is made by allowing mycelium to grow around clean agricultural waste, for example corn stalks or husks. Given less than a week to ‘do its thing’, the fungus fibres bind the waste together, creating a solid shape. The next step is quite simply to dry the new shape in order to prevent it from growing any further. Quite remarkable really!
Joanna Yarrow, head of sustainability for Ikea in the U.K., recently addressed the issue and stated that Ikea were aware of the harm that Polystyrene is doing environmentally, and in terms of wildlife, and they are determined to do their bit to address this problem with a sustainable alternative.
If you were wondering how Mushroom Packaging can be disposed of, you can place it in the garden or similar space and it will biodegrade within a matter of weeks!
Originally created a decade ago, Ecovative is already producing the eco-product to large companies, one notably being Dell. The multinational computer technology company currently uses the packaging to cushion large computer servers.
Ecovative have also announced that they are, at present, working with various companies in the U.K. to supply them with their ingenious product.


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There are fewer homes in the United States being sold which are in foreclosure as the real estate market continues its recovery.
The national foreclosure inventory fell by 33% year on year in August 2014 to approximately 629,000 properties, or 1.6% of all homes with a mortgage, down from 936,000, or 2.4% in August 2013.
According to the data from CoreLogic this marks 34 months of continuous year on year declines in the inventory of foreclosed homes, including 19 straight months of declines greater than 20%.
Also in August, the 12 month sum of completed foreclosures continued to decline, dropping 20% from a year ago to 576,000. The seriously delinquent inventory fell to 1.6 million loans, a 21.7% decline from August 2013.
The five states with the largest year on year drop in the foreclosure inventory were Utah which was down 46%, Idaho down 45.6%, Arizona down 44.5%, Florida down 43.6% and Iowa down 42.6.
The data also shows that 49 states posted declines in the foreclosure inventory from a year ago, with 44 states showing decreases of more than 20%. Only the District of Columbia and Wyoming saw year on year increases in foreclosure inventory.
Florida has seen the biggest improvement, falling 7.3% from its February 2011 peak level of 12.5% to its August rate of 5.2%. The foreclosure rate in New Jersey peaked in March 2013, much later than in Florida and the state has a 1.6% improvement in the foreclosure rate from its peak rate.
Both New York and Hawaii experienced peak foreclosure rates in September 2012, and have experienced similar declines in foreclosure rates, with New York falling 0.9% from its peak and Hawaii falling 1.1% from its peak.
Distressed sales (Real Estate Owned and short sales) accounted for 11.1% of total home sales in July 2014, the lowest share since December 2007 and a strong improvement from the same time a year ago when this category made up 15.5% of total sales.
Within this category, REO sales made up 7.1% of total home sales, and short sales made up 4% of total sales in July. At its peak, the distressed sales share totaled 32.5% of all sales in January 2009, with REO sales making up 28% of that share.
CoreLogic says in its report that the ongoing shift away from REO sales is a driver of improving home prices, as REOs typically sell at a larger discount than do short sales. There will always be some amount of distress in the housing market, so one would never expect a 0% distressed sales share, and by comparison, the pre-crisis share of distressed sales was traditionally about 2%.
Michigan had the largest share of distressed sales of any state at 26.3% in July, followed by Florida at 23.3%, Illinois at 23.3%, Nevada at 21.9% and Georgia at 19.8%. California experienced a 13.7% drop in the distressed sales share from a year earlier, the largest of any state. California also saw the largest improvement from peak distressed sales share of any state, falling 54.8% from the January 2009 peak share of 67.4%.
Of the largest 25 Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) based on population, Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights in Illinois, had the largest share of distressed sales at 26.5% followed by Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall in Florida at 26.1%.
In Florida Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford was at 24.5% and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, at 24.4%. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise in Nevada was at 23.1%, while Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade in California had the largest drop in its distressed share from a year earlier, falling by 17.1% from 31.3% in July 2013 to 15.2% in July 2014.
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise in Nevada had the largest overall improvement in distressed sales share from its peak value. At the peak in April 2009, distressed sales made up 76.6% of all sales in Las Vegas compared to its July 2014 rate of 23.1%.
This article was republished with permission from Property Wire.


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PLANO, Texas (AP) _ Alliance Data Systems Corp. (ADS) on Thursday reported third-quarter profit of $233.2 million.
On a per-share basis, the Plano, Texas-based company said it had profit of $4.20. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were $5.35 per share.
The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 13 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $5.03 per share.
The manager of loyalty and rewards programs for retailers and others posted revenue of $1.91 billion in the period, which missed Street forecasts. Eleven analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.97 billion.
Alliance Data expects full-year earnings to be $18.10 per share.
Alliance Data shares have dropped slightly since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index has climbed 14 percent. The stock has increased 8 percent in the last 12 months.
This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on ADS at https://www.zacks.com/ap/ADS


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KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police have arrested 12 people over the theft of 1,400 Samsung Galaxy Note II smartphones a day after the device's much-anticipated launch in the country, a police official said Tuesday.
The smartphones, worth 3.23 million ringgit ($1.07 million), were stolen on October 20 from the cargo area of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where they had arrived in a shipment.
Federal commercial crimes investigation chief Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said police had arrested 12 people in raids around the capital Kuala Lumpur, most of whom were believed to have planned the theft together.
He said only about 70 of the phones had been recovered and police were trying to track down the rest.
The New Straits Times reported that three of those facing charges were alleged buyers of stolen phones who paid less than the official retail price.
Samsung, a world leader in smartphones, launched the new model in Malaysia on Oct 19.
Launches of such products are is usually hotly anticipated in tech-savvy Malaysia.
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Playing it safe: Use caution when banking online
With the ease and convenience of banking online, many consumers are logging on to their computers or using their smart phones -- rather than waiting in line for a bank teller -- to transfer funds, manage accounts and pay bills.
"Banks can offer more services online," said Kristine Noli, a certified public accountant at Meyers, Harrison & Pia in New Haven, and there are numerous advantages to banking on the Internet. "You have access to information 24/7."
But while the Internet can be a safe way to easily manage bank accounts, Noli and other financial experts warn that there are pitfalls to avoid. Being careless can put personal and financial information into the wrong hands, leading to identity theft and other problems.
To avoid potential problems that can lead to financial mishaps, the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants advises consumers to ask themselves a few questions when banking online:
?Do I know who I'm dealing with? Most legitimate banks offer online options but there also are con artists out there using the Internet to scam people out of money or gain access to personal information.
Before opening an account with an unfamiliar organization, read any information it provides online to see how long it has been in business and whether it is regulated by state and federal banking authorities.
Also, information on financial institutions is available in the "Bank Find" section of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s Web site, www.fdic.gov.
If the bank's name is familiar, beware that some scammers use sound-alike names to trick people into believing they are dealing with a well-known organization. Double-check the full organization name and spelling to ensure it is the correct bank.
?Is it FDIC-insured? Only deal with banks that are insured by the FDIC, a government agency.
For those who have up to $250,000 in an FDIC-insured bank account -- including a checking or savings account, or a certificate of deposit -- the FDIC will reimburse the money if the bank fails. Look for the FDIC logo on the bank's site and for the words "Member FDIC" or "FDIC-insured."
Also, go to www.fdic.gov to locate the bank on the FDIC's list of insured institutions.
"The most important thing is to absolutely make sure that the bank is FDIC insured," said Noli.
Remember that banks chartered overseas may not benefit from FDIC insurance. Those considering an overseas bank should find out whether money will be covered.
?How can I fend off phishing? Phishing is a common scam in which consumers get an e-mail purportedly from a legitimate organization, such as a bank, asking them to confirm personal information. Scammers use the e-mails to get unsuspecting recipients to divulge bank account numbers, Social Security numbers and other personal information.
While online banking doesn't make people more vulnerable to phishing attacks, it is a problem consumers should be aware of when giving out information. The best defense is to call the bank's customers service number and verify that any communication one has received is legitimate.
Also, beware clicking on any unfamiliar links that take customers away from a bank's own Web site to an unaffiliated business site, Noli said. "You have to be careful of the Web site you're clicking to from the bank's main Web site," she said.
?Will my personal information be protected? There are many ways in which online organizations protect information they receive, such as passwords and data encryption.
Find out in advance what measures the bank will take to ensure that account numbers and other personal information does not fall into the hands of identity thieves.
Overall, the best way to protect one's online bank account is to monitor its activity regularly, at least weekly, Noli advises.
Cara Baruzzi can be reached at email@example.com or 203-789-5748.


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UPDATE 08/02/2019: It's time to fully stretch out and relax, as all the cloud space you could possibly need has arrived. If you're a PS Plus member, that is.
Copenhagen-based Hitman developer IO Interactive has announced that it's opening a second development studio, to be situated in Malmö, Sweden.
Two years after developer IO Interactive stealth added a Potato Jesus Easter egg to Hitman, a player has finally found it.
A logo for Hitman 2 popped up on the Warner Bros. website before being pulled offline.
Hitman's first season is getting a final, complete physical edition release next month, on 18th May.
Developer IO Interactive is giving away Hitman's Sapienza map, and its accompanying missions, for free on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, as part of its newly released Spring Pack.
Hitman's second location, Paris, will be free over Christmas and into early next year.
Elusive Targets have returned to Hitman following the launch of the title's Game of the Year edition earlier this month.
Fox and Hulu are teaming up to create a Hitman television series, according to Deadline.
IO Interactive has confirmed that there's a new Hitman game in the works.
"We're making great progress," IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak said of the next Hitman in a post celebrating the launch of Hitman's Game of the Year edition, "We have exciting new features and some franchise firsts, which we can't wait to tell you all about."
That's all the news we're getting for the moment though it seems, "We don't plan to start talking about that until some point in 2018," explained Abrak.
Hitman is getting a snazzy new Game of the Year Edition containing a bunch of new extras - and the return of Elusive Targets you may have missed.
Hitman's 26th and final Elusive Target for Season One will launch this Friday at 1pm UK time. It will be available for exactly 10 days (240 hours).
The Hitman reboot's first season has nearly come to an end with developer IO Interactive releasing its second to last Elusive Target today.
Available for 10 days, this Elusive Target is set in Hokkaido and it comes with a twist: you don't know who you're trying to kill and must discover this information on the field.
Better yet, if you choose to restart the mission (which you can only do if you've not completed any objectives), your target may be a completely different person. So you can't simply restart and go straight for the kill.
The beginning of the acclaimed recent Hitman game is, as of today, free for anyone on PC, PS4 or Xbox One.
The entire first season of the acclaimed new Hitman series/game is heavily discounted on Xbox Live - reduced from £45 to £18 - from now until 26th June.
IO Interactive has announced it has become a fully independent studio.
With the future of Hitman up in the air as Square Enix is looking to sell the series and its developer IO Interactive, the episodic assassination game is changing its sales structure to no longer be episodic.
The Hitman series' fate is uncertain with publisher Square Enix looking to sell the studio responsible for making it, IO Interactive. That hasn't stopped the Danish developer from plugging away at making new content for its excellent assassination adventure.
Three weeks on from Square Enix's shock announcement it would sell Hitman developer IO Interactive, there's still little word on the future of the much-loved stealth series.
Hitman developer IO Interactive has announced a round of job cuts.
Square Enix is binning off Hitman developer IO Interactive, but it's just announced record revenue and profits for the company as a whole.
For the financial year ending 31st March 2017, Square Enix saw net sales of £1.7bn - an increase 20 per cent versus the previous year, with operating income up 20.3 per cent and ordinary income up 22.9 per cent.
Square Enix said the launch of Final Fantasy 15 and the PlayStation 4 version of Rise of the Tomb Raider as well as strong download sales of catalogue titles had sparked the increase in net sales and operating income in the area of console games.
Square Enix has announced the shock decision to sell Hitman developer IO Interactive, putting the future of the much-loved stealth series in doubt.
Hitman will receive an all new extra challenging difficulty setting to coincide with its retail release on Tuesday, 31st January.
UPDATE 27/01/2017 7.03pm: Hitman's third bonus mission, Landslide, now has a new trailer showing how it's altered its Sapienza map to make way for a concert.
Hitman is coming to retail at the end of the month and the game will receive a free update adding HDR (High Dynamic Range) support to Io Interactive's assassination adventure.
Yesterday our Ian Higton played through Hitman's seasonal Holiday Hoarders mission, which features a nod to a holiday classic that you may have missed. For its two targets, Harry "Smokey" Bognato and Marv "Slick" Gonif , are based on the robbers tortured by Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone.
There's free Christmas Hitman content coming to PC, PS4 and Xbox One next week (Tuesday 13th) in the name of charity: the World Cancer Research Fund.
IO is today putting out a big update for the latest Hitman game that makes unlocks work offline.
The update means all unlockable items earned when connected to the game's servers are saved to an offline profile, so they can be used in Offline Mode. This was one of the biggest complaints among players with the game because if the servers were down and you wanted to play offline, none of your unlocks would be available. So, the update is welcome.
Items include all mastery items, so weapons, gear, starting/pickup locations as well as Elusive Target suit rewards and Challenge Pack unlocks. It's worth noting you must be connected to the game servers in order to acquire new unlocks.
Hitman's 14th Elusive Target is now live and will remain available for one week until Friday, 25th November at 1pm UK time.
Hitman's season finale is set on the Japanese island of Hokkaido and launches on 31st October.
After a whirlwind tour of Paris, Marrakesh, Bangkok and the Amalfi Coast, Hitman touches down tomorrow in Colorado, USA.
UPDATE 22/09/2016 4.44pm: Square Enix has released the following new trailer teasing what Hitman's Colorado locale will look like:
Good news, boxed games fans: Hitman will launch on a disc with a barcode on it early next year, on 31st January.
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners can expect to pay £49.99 for Hitman: The Complete First Season. PC players will need to stump up £39.99.
For that, you'll get a Steelbook case, all episodes of the game, the prologue mission, three bonus missions including the upcoming Landslide, a soundtrack, a making of documentary and the Requiem Blood Money pack with classic items.
Hitman's ninth Elusive Target will go live on 26th August at 1pm UK time, publisher Square Enix has announced.
There are apparently three seasons of murderous goings-on planned for sandbox assassination game Hitman.
Hitman's fourth episode will take Agent 47 to Bangkok, Thailand, on 16th August.
Hitman's next Elusive Target lets you assassinate a man played by Point Break star Gary Busey.
Piano wire? Check. Luxury leather gloves? They're packed and ready to go. Companion app? The modern hitman has got to consider all sorts of accessories as they track their mark now.
Hitman's fifth Elusive Contract goes live tomorrow, 1st July, at 1pm UK time, and it will remain available for 72 hours.
This Elusive Contract, The Gunrunner, is the first of its type set in the latest Marrakesh map.
Elusive Contracts can only be attempted once, ever, and you can't save during them. Making them even harder, your target won't show up in Instinct mode, so you'll need to keep your eyes peeled to spot them in the crowd.
E3 is all well and good to get you excited about upcoming games, but if you want something new and exciting to play right now Io Interactive has you covered with an all new Hitman Elusive Contract.
Hitman's third Elusive Target - the kind that only appear for a limited time and you can only attempt once - premieres on Wednesday, 8th June at 2pm UK time.
Hitman - Episode Three: Marrakesh is due on 31st May for PS4, Xbox One and PC.
The second one-off Elusive Target mission in Hitman will go live next Friday, 27th May, publisher Square Enix has just confirmed.
Hitman's first Elusive Target went live over the weekend, giving players one - and only one - chance to eliminate a certain target. As it turns out, 53 per cent were able to successfully complete the mission.
UPDATE 13/05/2016 4.52pm: Hitman's first Elusive Target will go live at 5pm UK time. That's in just a few minutes!
UPDATE 05/04/2016 10.44pm: A developer from Io-Interactive has clarified that Hitman's following episodes are still on track.
Hitman's second episode, Sapienza, will be out on 26th April, developer Io-Interactive has announced.
Hitman developer IO Interactive has finally commented on how its episodic game handles saving.
Hitman developer Io-Interactive is still navigating the waters of how to release a triple A game episodically and we've got some good news and bad news. The bad news first: the much touted Elusive Targets have been delayed until "closer to the planned release of the next episode" in April.
The Division game director Ryan Barnard has joined Hitman developer Io-Interactive.
We've still got a few weeks before Hitman's second Italy-bound chapter drops in April, but IO Interactive has kept good on its word of supplying further content for its already existing stages.
We wrote about the impressive real-life version of Hitman created for people to play earlier this week.
Hitman's Intro Pack hits Xbox One, PS4 and PC tomorrow, 11th March, offering the Paris map and two smaller prologue locations for $15 or £11.99. Already weary of the glitter and clamour of the French capital? Don't worry, the next episode, due in April, sees Agent 47 visiting the quiet Italian coastal town of Sapienza.
Sapienza is a quieter setting but pretty populous, with crowds of tourists milling through its narrow cobbled streets, and shops lining the road from a square higher up the hillside to a large pizza near the beach. Among other structures, you'll get to explore a church, a mansion house and some creepy catacombs. The target is Silvio Caruso, a bioweapons scientist, who operates a secret lab somewhere in the town. Besides killing Caruso, you'll need to get access to the lab in order to destroy a lethal new virus.
The second main location in Hitman's May update is Marrakesh, a city in Morocco. It's much noisier than Sapienza - a Swedish banker convicted of fraud has barricaded himself inside a consulate, prompting angry demonstrations, and to top things off, a general is using this as cover for a coup d'etat.
IO Interactive's popular Hitman franchise was adapted into a big budget real-life interactive experience.
Hitman will be available to try in open beta via PlayStation 4 on 4th March.
The test version will contain the game's Prologue mission, which contains two free-form training targets.
Hitman pre-order customers recently got to try out the level in a closed beta test. Now, anyone with a PlayStation Plus subscription will be able to play.
The Hitman beta launches at 10am on Friday, 12th February on PlayStation 4 and then on PC a week later (as previously announced, the beta isn't coming to Xbox One). Developer IO Interactive has explained how it'll all work in a post on the Hitman website, and a few bits of new information have come to light.
The beta, which weighs in at 4.7GB, includes the Hitman Prologue, which is the beginning of the game. It reveals how Agent 47 joined the ICA and shows the first time 47 meets his handler, Diana Burnwood. There's an intro to the gameplay and its mechanics, as well as two free-form training hits. You can replay each hit as many times as you'd like during the beta period, which lasts for three days - IO wants to encourage experimentation.
This is worth noting: the only way to guarantee access to the beta is to pre-order the game digitally on PS4 via PSN, or PC via Steam. Or, you can pre-order the Collector's Edition. So, pre-orders of the full experience, Intro Pack (Hitman, remember, is episodic), and Collector's Edition, guarantee beta access.
Hitman's closed beta is going live next week on PC for pre-order customers and publisher Square-Enix has revealed the system specs on Steam. They are as follows:
Square Enix and Io Interactive's upcoming Hitman game is now fully episodic.
The intriguing new Hitman game will get a beta/demo in February. It will arrive first on PlayStation 4 on 12th February, then on PC a week later on 19th February. There will not be an Xbox One beta. The PS4 and PC beta will be available to those who pre-ordered the game.
The demo is an origin story set 20 years in the past, and shows how Agent 47 - a man with stats "off the charts" and no apparent weaknesses - was recruited into the secretive International Contract Agency (ICA). The mission shows him meeting his handler Diana Burnwood for the first time.
Square Enix also announced that the PS4 version of the game will feature six exclusive contracts dubbed The Sarajevo Six. "These are self-contained contracts that see Agent 47 travel the world in pursuit of six former members of a paramilitary unit called CICADA," says the game's website. "Each target was a private soldier guilty of committing brutal war crimes. Many years later, fate is finally catching up with them."
Dark alleyways, gloomy buildings, windswept rooftops - Agent 47 is a master of the shadows.
It's about time he got some sun.
The latest trailer for Square Enix's upcoming Hitman title shows off a new sundrenched location, Sapienza, a fictional town situated on Italy's southern coast.
The new Hitman launches on 11th March 2016 with three locations: Paris, Sapienza and Marrakesh, developer IO has revealed.
Hitman's reboot has been delayed until March 2016, developer IO Interactive has announced.
Square Enix and IO Interactive are doing things a little different with the new Hitman.
The upcoming Hitman game may not have any gameplay footage yet, but developer IO Interactive has outlined its new features in a highlight reel below.
IO Interactive's new Hitman game was unveiled during Sony's E3 2015 press conference, and there are a couple of PlayStation-related exclusives tied up in it.
Sony said Hitman is "leading with a digital release", and there's a PlayStation 4-exclusive beta for those who pre-order, as well as six exclusive contracts.
Hitman comes out on 8th December 2015 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. IO said it will make the game available first via direct download, with a staggered release planned throughout 2016.
20th Century Fox has shown off a first look at Agent 47, the new Hitman film set to be released next year.
The next Hitman game from IO Interactive won't be at the E3 game show in June, the developer has confirmed, but we do have some concept art to study while we wait.


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Apple began rolling out iOS 16.1 beta 5 to developers on Tuesday, with a public release of the release expected soon.
YouTuber zollotech rounded up all the changes from beta 5 in a recent video. iOS 16.1 beta 5 comes with a modem update that might serve as a remedy for the cellular connectivity issues testers complained about on beta 4, but there aren’t many other changes. Notable ones include:
- A new alert when training in low power mode informing users that the training was recorded with less GPS and heart rate readings and that some metrics may not be available.
- There is now a limit of 200 custom lock screens, with a warning telling users that they will need to delete some of the existing screens before creating new ones.
There are also some wording changes in the Health and Fitness apps, but that’s about it. The update focuses more on refining existing features than introducing new ones. However, it contains many fixes for issues with Matter devices.
iOS 16.1 beta 5 also fixes a known issue that prevented VPNs, especially third-party ones, from working. Some animations have also been improved to appear smoother, including those in the Music app.
Some users were reporting display flickering issues on previous versions, but unfortunately there is no news on whether or not Beta 5 fixes this issue.
The YouTuber noted some stuttering around the UI when loading items, even though they had loaded before. That said, some bugs and instabilities are to be expected with a beta.
You can consult zollotechFull video below:
Along with iOS 16.1 beta 5, Apple also released iPadOS 16 beta 12, macOS 13 beta 11, and tvOS 16.1 beta 5. Additionally, a new beta firmware for AirPods is also available, which may fix an issue where the new AirPods Pro 2 would display a battery replacement alert.
Apple is also expected to release the previously delayed iPadOS 16 later this month.
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Chip designer Arm is up for sale, and Nvidia is thought to be considering making an offer.
The company was acquired by SoftBank in 2016 for $32bn, but its owner has hired Goldman Sachs to explore taking the company public or selling it outright.
Different business models
In recent weeks, GPU giant Nvidia approached the company to discuss acquiring the business, Bloomberg reports, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
Unlike Nvidia, which develops and sells its own chips, Arm relies on licensing. Its designs are sold to companies like Qualcomm, Apple, Amazon, and more, who then add to the design and develop their own products.
This approach means Arm earns significantly less per chip sold, but equally means it ends up in a lot more products. With more than 130 billion Arm processors in the wild, it is the most widely used instruction set architecture in the world, found in smartphones, Internet of Things devices, network processors, and more.
One area the company has repeatedly struggled to break into is the data center server market. While Arm is found elsewhere in a facility, the core CPU of most servers has historically been an x86 chip developed by Intel. In recent years, AMD's Epyc CPUs have gained ground, but they are also x86 products.
There are signs that that stranglehold could be breaking, with this summer alone seeing the debut of the world's most powerful supercomputer boasting Arm chips, a new Arm server, and the unveiling of a 128-core Ampere Arm CPU. Most promising, many in the industry believe, is Amazon Web Service's efforts. Its Graviton processors are relatively powerful in and of themselves, but Arm chip rivals hope that they will help people test the chip architecture cheaply, and boost its software support.
Last year, the instruction set scored another major victory: Nvidia said that it would make its full stack of AI and HPC software available to the Arm ecosystem.
"Arm has been an interesting conversation in high-performance computing (HPC) and the data center space more broadly," Ian Buck, VP and GM of accelerated computing at Nvidia, said at the time.
"Certainly, we've seen lots of interest in Arm, but more recently, there's been a significant uptick. With the announcement made by the European Commission and EPI on exascale, they stated publicly that Arm will be the CPU architecture of choice for European exascale - it's clear that Arm has a bright future in Europe. With the work being done in Japan with Riken and the Post-K systems there, Arm also is the CPU of choice for Japanese exascale.
"For Nvidia, we feel that Arm has reached a tipping point in that conversation and we want to help it succeed."
The GPU company, worth $257 billion before news of the potential acquisition broke, has been on a spending spree as of late. This year, its $6.9bn acquisition of networking company Mellanox closed, and was quickly followed by the news that it would swallow Cumulus.
But a deal to acquire Arm would be its biggest move yet, and - if it could pass regulators - would be the largest transaction in semiconductor history. Broadcom almost set a higher record when it tried to acquire Qualcomm in a $117bn hostile takeover, but the deal was blocked by the US government over national security grounds.
A different owner
Also at one point involved in sales discussions was Apple, which this year announced its Macs would soon use Arm-licensed chips designed in-house.
Arm reportedly contacted the company and preliminary discussions were held, but the idea was not pursued further.
When it acquired Arm, Japanese telecoms giant SoftBank promised to let the business mostly operate independently, but ahead of the potential sale or IPO the company reorganized Arm.
It spun out the company's less successful IoT software efforts, and said it should double down on its core chip design efforts - which are coming under increasing pressure from the fully open source RISC-V architecture, and face becoming a casualty of the growing US-China trade war.
Arm has also begun to pressure license holders to pay more, Reuters reported earlier this month - with some prices jumping fourfold.
While SoftBank owns the entire company, a quarter is held by its investment arm, the SoftBank Vision Fund. Spearheaded by CEO Masayoshi Son, the fund had lost $17.3 billion in value as of March 31, due to investments in companies like Uber, WeWork, and OneWeb that turned sour. Since March, a $1bn investment in defunct German payment processor Wirecard is likely to be lost.
In Arm, the company may have found an opportunity to make some returns. New Street Research analysts value the company at around $44 billion if it goes public next year, and at $68 billion by 2025.


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As per a report by Softpedia, CNBC reports that iPhones could soon cost more. They say iPhones are already super-expensive, and the high price has long been considered one of the main reasons people tend to wait more to upgrade their devices.
But if you think the USD 999 iPhone is too expensive, then you should be prepared for another price hike, as the device could end up costing no less than USD 1,142.
This is according to J.P. Morgan’s estimates, as the analysts believe that Apple could raise the price of its flagship product by as much as 14 per cent if Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Chinese imports go through.
In short, Trump wants to set a 25 percent tariff on some USD 300 billion worth of Chinese products brought to the United States, and the iPhone could be one of the devices to get hit, as most of the components are sourced from China.
"US production of the iPhone"
The analysts believe that the 25 percent tariff could lead to a 14 percent price hike for the iPhone, which means that the base model, which is now priced at USD 999 in the United States, could end up being sold for nearly USD 1,150.
“We estimate a price increase of around 14 per cent is required to absorb the impact of a 25 per cent tariff, keeping margin dollars for all players in the supply chain constant,” the analysts said in a note to clients according to CNBC.
However, J.P. Morgan says Apple could very well deal with the price increase on its own without passing the costs on to customers, which means the company would have to agree with smaller profit margins.
A second option for Apple is to move production to the United States and thus avoid the new tariffs, but in this case, the final cost of the iPhone could go even higher. Bank of America said, according to the same source, that the iPhone manufacturing cost could be increased by as much as 25 percent should production be transferred to the US.


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FedEx (FDX) and UPS (UPS) stock fell sharply after Morgan Stanley lowered its price targets for the firms amid concern over rising competition from Amazon.com (AMZN).
Analyst Ravi Shanker pointed out in a research note that the online retail behemoth is beefing up its own air delivery arm, Amazon Air, which could have negative consequences for the parcel giants.
He cut his price target for FedEx stock, which he rates as equal-weight, to 230 from 240, and for UPS stock, which he rates as underweight, to 87 from 92.
"For now, investors are focusing on Amazon's last-mile efforts, but we believe the challenge in Air is just as relevant," he said. "But given Amazon's plans to take delivery of 40 planes and build an air hub that could potentially handle 100 planes, we've taken a closer look at the impact of Amazon Air (its in-house Express Air network) on UPS/FedEx Air volumes."
FedEx, UPS Dive
FedEx stock sank 6.3% on the stock market today, plunging through its 50-day line, a move that also sent the relative strength line sharply downward. UPS stock tumbled 7.4%, diving below both its 50- and 200-day lines, though it remains off the 103.83 low of its current consolidation period.
Other players in the Transport-Air Freight Industry group were also down. Atlas Air Worldwide (AAWW) sank 6.9%, and Air Transport Services (ATSG) sold off 4.4%. Amazon stock fell 5.9%, also undercutting its 50-day and 200-day lines.
Morgan Stanley's Shanker estimates that package volumes are split between the United States Postal Service (40%-45%), UPS (30%-35%), FedEx (10%-15%) and Amazon's own network of independent service providers (10%-15%). He said Amazon Air could become an alternative to current Express providers UPS and FedEx, which could hurt the latter firms' profits in the future.
However, he sees big benefits to Amazon if it brings express shipping costs in house. It could cut costs to about $6 a unit compared to around $10 per unit at FedEx and $8 per unit for UPS.
Amazon Air Ready For Takeoff
The analyst said that in 2019, savings of between $2-$4 per package could result in $1 billion-$2 billion savings for Amazon. This represents between 3% and 6% of its global shipping costs. He also thinks Amazon Air could cause 2% of potential revenue loss for UPS stock and FedEx stock in 2018, and sees this accelerating to more than 10% by 2025.
"We expect this drag to intensify once Amazon Air has all 40 planes in the air (and potentially 100 planes if it runs its planned air hub at capacity) and as its utilization improves to UPS/FedEx levels," the analyst wrote.
Shanker believes the parcel giants will focus on broadening their customer reach to make up for revenue losses; however, he said Amazon could also threaten these efforts.
"(Increasing exposure to non-Amazon customers) should help offset the AMZN Air impact to some degree, though we note that AMZN is the dominant e-commerce player in the U.S. today, growing faster than the industry average, so they may be a hard customer to replace," he said. "However, even in this scenario, UPS/FDX may have to run into AMZN Air as a competitor for third-party volumes, if AMZN opens its doors to non-AMZN customers as we expect."


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Following on from the resounding success of the previous Global Biocontrol Summit, Wisdom is proud to present the 3rd Global Biocontrol Summit, to be hosted virtually on 11 – 12 May 2022.
Food security along with consumers becoming increasingly more conscious of the environment and the food they put into their bodies is pushing companies and governments into supporting sustainable farming practices. The global agricultural biologicals market size is projected to grow at a CAGR of 13.6%, reaching a value of USD 18.9 billion by 2025, with Europe, Australia, North and South America making up the lion’s share. However, markets in Asia and Africa are also increasing their use of biocontrol products in the farming practices.
While chemical agents have been the first choice for a long time, environmental, political, and societal factors are driving the industry towards the use of bioproducts in the growing of crops. These products have demonstrated a much lower impact on the environment and the health of the final consumer. Furthermore, they are a lot cheaper to manufacture than traditional chemical products.


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Bellevue, OH – OSHA investigators have cited Bellevue Manufacturing Co. with 19 “serious” violations and one “other” violation during an inspection of the northwest Ohio auto parts manufacturing facility. Fines for these violations total $112,500. OSHA conducted the inspection after receiving a complaint about unsafe working conditions at the company’s plant.
The citations included exposing employees to parts of machinery while the machinery was in operation; falling hazards on platforms that lacked guardrails; lack of lock-out, tag-out devices that resulted in unintentional operation of machinery during service and maintenance; electrical shock due to a lack of personal protective equipment and training for safe work practices; and confined space hazards when entering a parts washer because of lack of training and warning signs.
OSHA said the company also failed to provide eye and face protection for workers exposed to battery acid. Eye wash stations were not present, and workers were not adequately trained to operate powered industrial vehicles.
Read more from original source.


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Jan 18, 2013, 08.44 AM | Source: PTI
Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra is in the final stages of testing its premium 390cc motorcycle Mojo, a top official said in Chennai on Thursday.
Asked when the motorcycle is expected to hit the road, he said, "very soon", but did not divulge further details. The engine of this motorcyle has been designed at the research and development centre at Pune, set up at a cost of Rs 100 crore.
Unveiling the company's latest 110cc motorcycle-models Centuro and Pantero in Tamil Nadu market in Chennai, Anoop Mathur, Mahindra & Mahindra president- two-wheelers and member of the board said the company wants to become a player of substance with the launch. He added that two motorcycle-models were designed at the Pune research and development centre facility.
Admitting that M&M was a late entrant in the crowded two-wheeler market,he said they have been steadily increasing market share after the launch of scooters. He said the company plans to launch three more scooter-variants before this year end. "Hopefully we should have three more variants coming this year", he said.
The company currently manufactures its two-wheelers in Pithampur facility. Popli replied in the affirmative when asked whether the company was looking for exports of its motorcycles, saying some markets would be South Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. "Already we are exporting our scooters to some overseas markets. We will stretch it further", he said.
While 110cc motorcycle-model Pantero would be immediately available in Tamil Nadu at Rs 44,190 ex-showroom, the Centuro would hit the roads in four to six weeks, he said.
M&M stock price
On May 30, 2016, Mahindra and Mahindra closed at Rs 1331.80, down Rs 3.35, or 0.25 percent. The 52-week high of the share was Rs 1441.45 and the 52-week low was Rs 1092.00.
The company's trailing 12-month (TTM) EPS was at Rs 51.00 per share as per the quarter ended March 2016. The stock's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was 26.11. The latest book value of the company is Rs 310.09 per share. At current value, the price-to-book value of the company is 4.29.
Though the company's standalone revenues were stro
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd has informed BSE that the
Revenue increased 14.5 percent to Rs 10,800.8 cror
With reference to the earlier letter dated May 04,
Parag Thakkar of HDFC Securities has a bullish sta
"Trringo.com is incorporated as a wholly-owned sub
HeidelbergCement India has reported a sales turnov
Medi-Caps has reported a sales turnover of Rs 6.77


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Super Talent displayed a new PCI-e based flash storage system at CeBIT that it plans to release to market by the end of April. Dubbed the RAIDDrive upStream, it promises to deliver superior performance to that of conventional SSDs but will cost less than existing PCI-e products from the company.
Super Talent has introduced their USB 3.0 ST2 flash drive which offers read speed of up to 67MB/s and write speed of 24MB/s.
VR-Zone gives a round up all the latest and greatest Memory, Storage and SSD products from Computex Taipei 2011. *Constantly Updated*
Well-known flash storage and memory maker Super Talent is preparing to introduce its CoreStore line-up of SSDs. Featuring mini PCIe/ PCIe interfaces, they boast a Marvell 88NV9143 controller, MLC (multi-level cell) or SLC (single-level cell) NAND flash memory, and support data transfer rates up to 350Mb/s (read) and 80Mb/s (write) for MLC models and 350Mb/s
Super Talent Technology has launched the DataGuardian, an affordable secure flash drive for the mainstream users. Available in 4Gb, 8Gb and 16Gb variants, these USB 2.0 compact flash drives boast a password system and are able to block auto-play malware attacks.
SuperTalent has announced a high performance USB flash drive compatible with USB 3.0, where the NAND flash chips are running on a sandforce controller. SuperTalent have used a Sandforce SF-1222 SSD controller with MLC NAND flash chips occupying 8 channels. As the SF-1222 controller is running at half its capacity, performance is expected to drop
Super Talent earlier today announced their newest USB 3.0 entrant, the USB 3.0 Storage Pod. Super Talent’s new USB 3.0 Storage Pod unlocks the true performance of modern hard drives and enables them to reach speeds that were previously only obtainable on the SATA bus, yet remain fully backward compatible to the millions of USB
With second-generation USB 3.0 host controllers starting to emerge, Super Talent has announced that its USB 3.0 RAIDDrive can now reach even faster transfer rates of over 370MB/sec. By connecting the RAIDDrive to a newer host controller, the completely unchanged drive gives users a good 55MB/sec speed boost.
Super Talent Technology has started shipping their new 8GB Registered-ECC DDR3 DRAM modules to support low-voltage Intel Westmere platforms.
Super Talent Technology announced that their new USB 3.0 Express Duo has broken the US$15 price barrier. The Express Duo can top over 67MB/s when plugged into a USB 3.0 port.
Super Talent Technology has announced they are now shipping a new large capacity 64GB Special Edition Pico-C USB flash drive that is clad in 24K gold. The drive is no bigger than half the average Joe’s thumb, and can reach speeds of up to 30MB/sec.
Super Talent Technology has announced they are now shipping their new USB 3.0 Express RAM Cache drive. Available in 32GB (ST3U32ERS) and 64GB (ST3U64ERS) capacities, these new drives implement a DRAM caching system to boost small block random performance by up to 300%.
California-based Super Talent, has unveiled the DuraDrive ET2 and ZT2 SSDs, targeting enterprises and industrial sectors.
Super Talent Technology has announced the new UltraDrive MX SSD. The speedy UltraDrive MX features a new dual-interface for both SATA II and mini-USB connections. More information inside.
Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of flash-based storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced dual and triple channel DDR3 memory kits running at 2000MHz. Based on the latest high density 2Gb ICs, these new module kits can be configured to run with extremely low latency. Designed to meet the needs of the over-clocking
Super Talent Technology has announced a new line of Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) Solid State Disks, the ShuttleCraft Series SAS SSD. Two models will be available; one using SLC flash, and the other using MLC flash.
Performance memory modules at a blazing 2600MHz, solid state drives with 512GB capacities, flash storage solutions, see them all at COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2010.
Super Talent, leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, has jumped onto the SSD bandwagon with the launch its Super Talent VSSD family of SSDs. More…
Super Talent SuperSpeed USB 3.0 RAIDDrive Super Talent has unveiled the new SuperSpeed USB 3.0 RAIDDrive, the world’s first USB 3.0 flash drive. Measuring 95 x 37 x13mm, the compact SuperSpeed drive reportedly supports transfer speeds of up to 10 times faster than conventional USB 2.0 flash drives and is fully backward compatible with USB


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When Google comes to your door – or your digital door – and tells you they’d like you to join their collective, generally you say yes, let’s do it! That’s what Behavio has announced they’ve done this week. Behavio is a company that was Knight Foundation funded and aimed to develop apps that would accurately
Tag Archives: Connects
This week the folks at Jawbone have made their UP band a more social device with an update to its iOS app and connectivity with Facebook Open Graph. The Jawbone UP device itself is out on the market now and has been for some time – $ 129 for a lovely little strap that fits around
Children love technology, especially tablets such as the iPad. The huge number of educational and entertainment apps available for kids on the Apple iPad means that parents can give their kids an early start on learning all sorts of important information while the kid thinks they’re playing games. The problem for parents is that children
Heyzap has added a cool new feature to its social platform for mobile games — the ability to actually start playing games with other users.
The app already allowed users to check-in to games that they were playing (either manually in the Heyzapp app, or automatically through its many SDK integrations), to earn badges, and to find other players and games. However, in order to actually start playing a game with someone else, users had to manually share their in-game usernames with each other. That’s something “tons of users” were doing, says co-founder Jude Gomila, but it’s not exactly a graceful solution.
Live traffic info likely prevents many a clenched fist meeting steering wheel every single day. A new trial scheme in Frankfurt Germany, however, could prevent even more unnecessary road-rage. The project involves 120 vehicles from a range of manufacturers, loaded with “car-to-x” technology. Cars will communicate with each other, and with general infrastructure, in an attempt to make roads safe and less congested. As well as basic location data, other tools include a brake light that advises the car behind it once activated, and an obstacle warning system to share information on the presence and location of hazards — as well as what those blockages are. The project is a collaboration between Universities, research institutes, telecom providers — and of course — the auto industry. We’re keen to see how the trial turns out. Even if it’s just to lower our next taxi fare.
Filed under: Transportation
Those looking to hone their own olympian body in preparation for this year’s Games can grab Adidas’ miCoach title for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Tapping into both consoles’ respective motion-sensing cameras (and Adidas’ own sensors and units), there are six sports to dabble in, with over 400 different exercises that can be synced with existing miCoach accounts. There’s also a raft of Adidas-emblazoned athletes to takie you through those motions. The games are priced up at £21 (around $ 32) a piece in the UK, but American indoor athletes can expect their version to arrive around July 24.
Hewlett-Packard's Autonomy subsidiary will release an add-on component to link the company's IDOL flagship search software to the Apache Hadoop data processing platform, it announced Monday as part of its HP Discover user conference this week in Las Vegas.
timeRAZOR, the D.C.-area startup which raised $ 3.4 million pre-launch to build a better events finder, has arrived today on mobile. The new apps, available for both iOS and Android, work by using your phone’s geolocation features combined with a built-in recommendation engine to help suggest nearby events that you may have otherwise missed. It also integrates with your phone’s built-in calendar, to suggest events taking place near your out-of-office meetings and social appointments.
One of the more interesting PC accessories of the last few years was the now-infamous Optimus keyboard, which replaced every key with a tiny display that could be customized for games and software. At $ 1500, it was kind of a stretch. More recently, Razer’s Blade laptop and an unreleased keyboard have integrated a touchscreen and LCD keys, though also at a premium. But why haven’t we employed the high-resolution touchscreens we all carry around with us – our smartphones?
Roccat, a PC gaming brand that has been expanding into the states, has put together a free app that acts as a sort of window into your PC, letting you monitor your components, create custom key layouts for games, and more. It’s a geek dream.
NEC did it again: about 11 months after unveiling the world’s slimmest smartphone at that time, the company is ready to release another super-thin Android phone with a set of impressive specs (via Japan’s biggest mobile carrier NTT Docomo). Dubbed MEDIAS ES N-05D [JP], the handset will hit Japanese stores in February or March this year.
Casio Japan is planning [JP] to roll out the G-SHOCK GB-6900 on March 16 next year, a wristwatch that connects to certain smartphones via Bluetooth LE (LE=low-energy, a standard that’s baked into Bluetooth 4.0). The device will be compatible with the Medias LTE N-04D Android phone from NEC (to be released next year) and NEC’s Medias PP N-01D.
Casio says that the G-SHOCK not only synchronizes the time with the phones but also shows incoming calls, emails, or SMS on its display. Users can also switch their handsets to vibration mode by pushing a button on the watch or set alarms.


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Life Cell gets government backing
Local marine safety product awarded business development funding.
Life Cell Marine Safety has been awarded an Accelerating Commercialisation Grant by the Australian Government to assist in the commercialisation of Life Cell, the innovative buoyancy device that stores all essential marine safety equipment and is specifically designed reduce the number of people who lose their lives at sea.
Life Cell Marine Safety CEO, Jenny Aiken, said the company is extremely pleased to receive the grant as it will assist the company to achieve international certification and expand into overseas markets, particularly into the US which is a significantly larger market than Australia.
“The Accelerating Commercialisation Grant provides monetary support from the government but also the opportunity to access guidance from experienced advisors to assist in business development and exposure to potential investors,” she said.
“We are extremely excited to be part of such a supportive and nurturing program and are grateful for the much needed assistance that the Government is providing us. Furthermore, this grant will assist Life Cell to have an impact on marine safety internationally and fulfil its vision of reducing the number of lives that are tragically lost in boating accidents.”
Accelerating Commercialisation is a key offering under the Entrepreneur’s Programme, a $480 million business initiative from the Federal Government. It aims to provide business support and advice to help businesses commercialise novel products, processes and services, as well as improve their productivity and competitiveness.


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Last year Yelp turned down a US$ 550 million dollar offer from Google, and today remains one of the few companies to have walked away from the famous, primary-colored clutches. Not to be outdone, it looks like Google's answer to the local and location craze is a mobile solution called Google Places.
Going Places with Google
Google Places is the newest piece of the Google Maps for mobile puzzle. The feature tacks nearby places onto the usual offerings, honing in on attractions, hotels, bars, restaurants, etc. A Places icon is also along for the ride, and will be included in the Android app launcher. Basically, Google just turned Places its own application:Google Places
As you can see, 'Restaurants' is at the top of the list of places to go, which seemingly serves to compete directly with Yelp's app. And while reviews aren't a part of Google's deal, many eateries have been pulling critiques from other sources, such as Zagat, into their restaurant pages anyway.
Clicking on one of these pages will yield directions, pricing and menu items, or a call option.
Check-ins to Follow?
Yelp recently added the popular check-in functionality to their mobile application. Google hasn't said whether or not they plan to add it as well, but, let's face it, they probably do. In fact, Foursquare is shopping for a way to monetize their vast amount of data, and word is they're in talks with Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. Should Google name the right number, the addition of Foursquare's LBS prowess to Google Maps would make Places a more than viable option.
On the other hand, some experts are saying that location-based services aren't all they're cracked up to be.
"Forrester finds that only 4% of U.S. online adults have ever used location-based mobile apps such as Foursquare, Gowalla and Loopt," said Forrester analyst Melissa Parrish. "Only 1% update these services more than once per week. What's more, 84% of respondents said they are not familiar with such apps, leaving the vast majority of Americans online still in the dark about location-based apps, which have had the marketing world obsessing over them in recent months."
Which side of the fence you buy into is up to you, but if you're interested in check out Places, just search for 'Google Maps' in the Android Marketplace. If you're a business owner wanting to be found, head on over here.


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Ah! Diwali: For the ad agencies, it's time to do something big
Ad agencies must bear the brunt of this most unusual transformation in clients during the festival of lights.
Government tries to blunt Una with new television advertisements
The Facebook page and Twitter timeline of the ministry has numerous slogans ...
Snapdeal not to renew Aamir Khan's contract as brand ambassador
According to sources Snapdeal has decided not to renew Bollywood star Aamir K...
How Maggi can revamp itself once the storm is over
Maggi finds itself in a huge mess as it struggles to get out of the lead controversy. Advertising professionals share their thoughts on what they think of the issue from a communication perspective.
Delhi Polls: Arvind Kejriwal turns the tables on BJP over ‘Upadravi Gotra’ advertisement
With just days to go for Delhi polls, BJP has walked into a caste controversy with a party ad in Hindi that used the term ‘upadravi gotra.’
Seven ways to apologize to consumers and save brand value
An acceptable expression of contrition is the first step toward reconciliation and healthier bottom lines.
Jeeves@100: Here's how PG Wodehouse influences Indian copy writing
The Wodehousian way is the ability to effortlessly expand characters, trivialities and plots and exaggerate the mundane to great comic or catastrophic effect.
Congress does the ‘clever thing’ to protect brand Rahul
ET had analysed ('RaGa Can't Afford the Tag') on January 15 why announcing Rahul Gandhi as Congress’s PM candidate made very little sense.
Bang in the Middle now an independent advertising agency
Bang in the Middle, the in-house creative division of global tech-support provider iYogi, is now an independent ad agency.
Cannes Lions: The heard & the overheard
Last year, there were two Grand Prix: one for a conventional billboard on Coca-Cola and the other for a technology driven project for Mercedes, titled ‘Invisible Car’.
Tango with Lions: Indian judges at the Cannes Lions
The countdown to Cannes Lions has begun. Here’s another instalment from our series on the Indian contingent of judges, this time serving on traditional media juries.
The bandwagon is finally full. Or so we thought. For there's always room for one more ad-guy leaving advertising to-start-something-of-my-own.
Cannes Lions advertising festival: What and how will nine Indian ad professionals judge
This year, there will be a record nine Indian ad professionals on the various juries at the Cannes Lions advertising festival.
Tanishq advertisement breaks stereotypes; shows a dusky bride and remarriage
Diwali is when Indian advertising celebrates its traditions. Deep fried jalebis, firecrackers and diyas, happy joint families with shimmering clothes and set relationships.
Kent RO ad teases Pureit's 'Rs. 1 Crore Challenge'
In its latest TV commercial, Kent RO has teased HUL's Pureit 'Rs. 1 Crore Challenge', as it takes on the second-largest player in the purifier market.


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A longtime North Carolina-based yarn manufacturer is getting out of the textile business. Pharr announced this week it’s selling three of its five divisions early next year. News outlets report ...
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Stars and Stripes


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This year, Apple will spend the most radical redesign ever was the brand of smartphones. New iPhone 8 will be equipped with a screen “edge to edge”, wireless charging and dual camera. New pictures confirm the appearance and some specifications of flagship smartphone from Apple.
The latest facts revealed by the author Twitter-UnboxTherapy channel. iPhone 8, reportedly, will receive a display diagonal of 5.8 inches and it will not have separate keys Home.
Earlier it was reported that the new phone will have about the same dimensions as the iPhone 7, and its thickness would be 7.7 mm. As the current flagship of Apple, it is expected that iPhone 8 will be dressed in protected water body, but the company intends to improve its water resistance.
iPhone 8 will boast new technologies of biometric identification. Built-in laser sensor will allow the smartphone to accurately identify users and to determine the depth when working with augmented reality technology. This will help Apple improve the quality of applications ARKit and thus make the technology even more powerful.
Apple will unveil new iPhone in September. Thus, according to the latest data, the company might require much more time for mass production, so home sales may be delayed until October and even into November.